Nokia / Microsoft not concerned about competition on the Windows Phone market
New players on the Windows Phone market would be beneficial for the ecosystem
Nokia, the leading OEM on the Windows Phone market is selling its device unit to Microsoft. Currently, the share of Nokia accounts between 90 and 92% of the overall sales of the Windows-based smartphones but there are indications that many new players will appear in 2014. Sony, ZTE, Samsung, Micromax, Huawei and other companies are rumored to be in talks with Microsoft regarding Windows Phone devices. That would increase the competition and offer consumers more choices on the Nokia- dominated market. In a recent interview for the Economic Times, Nokia’s Marketing Director for India, Viral Oza revealed his thoughts about the market situation now and in the near future.
Oza thinks that entering of new players will help the operating system to grow. By entering of more players, more developers will be attracted and the ecosystem will become stronger. That would encourage more users to buy Windows based devices. At the same time, the pricing won’t be influenced by the entry of new manufactures, concludes Viral Oza.
There are around 5,000 app developers and 65% of them are developing apps for outside India, continues Oza. Over 4 million apps are downloaded weekly and the pace will increase with the Windows Phone growth.
As far as the marketing strategy regarding the Lumia phones in 2014, Oza highlights several aspects. First of all, Nokia will continue to bet on multiply color versions which are huge sales drivers. Other key areas of the strategy are the camera capabilities and the unique applications. Alongside the Lumia growth, the Asha brand will be fortified with new phones, features and apps.
Source: The Economic Times
